


Black Holes

by Greenlady



Series: Echo Valley [6]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-27
Updated: 2010-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Greenlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex and Connor decide to build their own cyclotron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Holes

'Daddy! Daddy! It's here. It's here.'

Lex Luthor looked up, and frowned, a bit sternly. 'Connor, what have I told you about running into rooms like that, without knocking and asking for permission? Your father and I are talking about something private.'

'I'm sorry, Daddy. But it's here.'

'What's here, Connor?'

'The magnet. For the cyclotron.'

'Oh! That's wonderful. But your father and I are talking about something private and important. We'll go to see the magnet as soon as we're finished.'

'But... Daddy. I've been waiting and waiting....'

'So you can wait a bit longer. The magnet won't disappear.'

'But, Daddy!'

'Connor! That's the third time you've interrupted me. Sit down over there by the window, and wait until I'm finished talking with Clark. Possess your soul in patience for a time. You will survive the experience, I assure you.'

'What's my soul got to do with it?' asked Connor, clearly mystified by Lex's instructions.

'Don't argue with me, young man. Go, and sit down. Now.'

'Yes, Daddy.'

'And while you are sitting there, think about your soul and what it might have to do with this situation.'

'Yes, Daddy,' said Connor, again.

Connor sat down in the chair Lex had pointed to. He didn't look very happy. Clark sympathized, but it wouldn't be right to say so, and thus undermine Lex's authority. Lex was a good parent: loving and supportive and fair, even if at times a bit more strict than Clark quite agreed with. To be honest, what Clark disagreed with was Lex's seriousness. He tended to dampen Connor's high spirits, Clark thought. But then Connor was hardly deprived of fun in his life. Clark spent a lot of time playing with him, almost as if they were brothers rather than parent and child. Lex was older, and had many reasons for being more serious, and Clark understood those reasons.

Still, he had been happy when Lex suggested the cyclotron project, and he had encouraged it. This was something that Lex and Connor were sharing, doing all the planning together, the research, ordering the parts and so on. They had shopped around for the best prices, though Lex could have afforded to buy without considering price. He said it was good training for Connor, to consider things like price and value, and not to grow up spoiled rotten, thinking that he could always have exactly what he wanted. Now they had the last part of the cyclotron, and could begin to build. Though what they would do with it once it was built was a good question.

'What does it matter what we do with it, Clark?' Lex had asked. 'I've always wanted my own cyclotron.'

'Your own pet particle accelerator? Just what every boy needs.'

'Yes, if you like.'

'It's fine with me,' Clark had said. 'As long as you feed it yourself and clean up after it.'

'Don't be silly, Daddy,' Connor had admonished. 'Cyclotrons don't eat.'

Connor sighed now, and kicked the chair legs, just a little, as if experimenting to see how much patience Lex had left. Not much, thought Clark, judging by the glare he sent in Connor's direction. Connor glared back, just a little, and Lex's eyes went cold and grey as the sky outside the castle windows. It was November.

Joy got up from her place by Lex's chair, and ambled over to Connor. She sat down, rested her head on Connor's knee, gazed up into Connor's eyes. Connor was caught by her gaze, and smiled. He stroked her furry black head, and hummed a little under his breath.

'Well, Clark,' said Lex at last. 'We are agreed that next summer would be the best time?'

'Any time would be fine with me, as I keep saying -- but yes. I agree that works best for the both of us.'

'Good,' said Lex. 'Well, Connor, your father and I have agreed to give you a baby brother or sister next summer. Does that suit you?'

'Ummm? Okay, Daddy,' said Connor.

Can we go make the particle accelerator now, thought Clark, just managing to restrain his grin. He could see that Lex wanted to laugh, too, but he also managed to hide it.

'That's good. Clark and I are finished talking, so you can get out of the chair now. Have you been thinking about what I said?'

'Yes, Daddy. I've been thinking about Joy. She's a dog, right?'

'Yes,' said Lex, looking as confused as Connor had earlier in the conversation.

'Billy's daddy said dogs don't have souls,' Connor went on. 'That means if Joy dies she won't go to heaven, right? And if she can't go to heaven I don't want to, either.'

'Well, I don't agree with Billy's daddy,' said Lex. 'I think heaven is a bigger place than some people think, and I don't see why there wouldn't be room there for Joy, if there's room there for Billy's daddy.'

'Okay,' said Connor. 'So, if Joy's going to heaven, I want to go there too, to be with her, and so I should be careful not to lose my soul.'

Lex smiled at Connor. A deep, grave, gentle smile. 'That's very wise of you, Connor,' he said. 'Do you see what this has to do with patience, and not interrupting people and cyclotrons?'

'Ummmm....'

'Cyclotrons are big projects. We must be patient. And it's a fine thing to experiment, but experiments can be dangerous.'

'We could make a black hole!' said Connor, sounding a bit excited at the prospect.

'Yes, so we must be careful.'

'Are black holes evil?' asked Connor.

'No. Black holes are dangerous, but they're not evil. They're just themselves. They do what black holes do, and we don't want to get in their way, so we must be careful not to create one.'

Clark didn't think the little cyclotron Lex and Connor were building could possibly create a black hole, but both Lex and Connor sounded charmed by the possibility they might do so.

'Well, if you think you can possess your soul in patience now, let us go and unpack the magnet and begin, shall we?'

Connor took Lex's hand, and they strolled off together, toward their destiny, Joy following at their heels.

***THE END***

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a request on Lex's Minions for a story in which Lex builds his own cyclotron.


End file.
